Mid-Week Message - October 9

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be always with you!

I've been thinking a lot about the intersection between faith and politics recently, especially related to the current provincial election that we are in, and especially after the all-candidates debate that we hosted last night at Westfield United Church.

I came across a quote on Facebook earlier this week that says:  "A vote is a kind of prayer about the kind of world you want to live in." (Raphael Warnock, the originator of this quote, is both a Baptist pastor and a US Senator. He has a fascinating story - you can check out his Wikipedia page if you want to read more about a life lived at the intersection of faith and politics.)

The theme of last night's debate was Poverty Reduction, and I couldn't help but make the connection between Warnock's statement and our gathering.  A loving God's vision for the world is a world without poverty.  And as those of us in attendance last night were able to see, that is a vision that our politicians can get behind too.

Last night left me filled with hope.  There was a great turn-out for the debate - more non-church people than church people - and seeing so many people from our communities concerned about and engaged with the topic of poverty reduction fills me with hope.

The tone of the evening stayed respectful too - the candidates all honoured their time limits and we didn't have to cut any of them off; and there was no heckling from the audience, just applause after each candidate spoke.  Some of my favourite moments came when the candidates agreed with each other, or acknowledged that another candidate had good ideas. The idea of politicians agreeing with each other and supporting each other gives me hope, especially in these times when politics seem to be all about division.  And especially when the thing that they are agreeing about is the need to reduce poverty.

Our faith calls us to be political.  Jesus was political - even though he never held or aspired to any position of power, he was most certainly engaged with what was happening in his world, and what was happening to the people around him.  Even the commandment that is at the heart of our relationship with God, "Love your neighbour as your love yourself," calls us to be political.

I will never tell you how to vote (even though our faith calls us to be political, partisan politics have no place in the church!) but I do encourage you to engage in the political process and to vote. And invite your friends and family members and neighbours to vote - offer them a ride to the polling station if that helps!

And as you cast your ballot, in this election or any other election, remember those words of Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock, and think of your X as your prayer for the kind of world you want to live in, and the kind of world you want for your neighbours. (You can even say a quiet "Amen" as you mark your ballot!)

Election day is Monday October 21; Advance Polls are this weekend, Saturday October 12 and Tuesday October 15; and you can vote at any returning office on M-F between 9am and 7pm or Saturday 9am to 5pm.  (For most of you, your closest Returning Office would either be the Moss Glen Legion or St. Mark's United Church.)

Moving from politics into announcements, we have a bunch of things coming up next week:

• Worship on Sunday will be at Long Reach at 9:15 at Westfield and on Facebook Live at 11:15. This is Thanksgiving weekend and that will be the focus of our worship service. We're taking a break from Job this week (don't worry, we'll get the ending of Job's story the following week!), and instead will be reading Joel 2:21-27 - a story about abundance following a time of famine.

• Asking the Big Questions - our next gathering will be on Tuesday October 15 from 4:30-6. This is a gathering where we can explore some of the bigger questions in life - things that we may not have a chance to talk about in places outside of the church. The question this month will be "Why are we here?" (aka "What is the meaning of life?" or "What does the Lord require of you?") These gatherings are open to all ages; and thanks to the UCW, we share pizza at the end of each gathering so you don't need to worry about making supper when you get home.

• I Believe You Forum - as we've been announcing for a couple of weeks, this is a community forum organized by a couple of members of Westfield United Church with mental health and law enforcement professionals sharing about how to respond to disclosures of sexual abuse. This is an important topic that would be especially relevant to parents, grandparents, and anyone in a trusted relationship with children and youth. You can find more details on the event by clicking here.

• Bible Study - continues every Wednesday at 10am in the parlor. Everyone is welcome; no prior bible study experience is necessary!

• Session Meeting - a reminder to Session members that our next meeting will be Wednesday October 16 at 7pm at Summerville United Church. Watch your inbox for the agenda from the chair.

• Sandwiches for Romero House - our Church in the World Committee has arranged for us to make sandwiches for Romero House on Friday October 18. Please put the sandwiches in individual baggies, then put them back into the loaf bag. The details for our three churches are:

  Westfield - egg salad (no onions); pick-up at 10:30am in the church parking lot

  Long Reach - ham and cheese (no condiments); pick-up at 10am at Fullerton's Market

  Summerville - bologna (no condiments); pick-up at 9:30 at the church inside the front door

• Respiratory Illness Reminder - As a society, we have become a lot more aware of the potential for making each other sick in the past couple of years. This is just a reminder that if you are sick (even if you're pretty sure that it is "just" a cold), please stay home, rest, attend worship virtually, and keep your germs to yourself. (This is one time when the church doesn't encourage sharing!)

• Coming Dates (Mark your calendars!)

  Cool Chicks and Ugly Doclings - concert at Westfield United Church on Saturday October 26 at 7pm. Admission by freewill offering; proceeds going to support Westfield United Chruch.

  Sock it to Me - sock collection for the Romero Van (and a chance to throw socks at your minister) will be on Nov. 3 (Summerville and Westfield) and November 10 (Long Reach). Start watching for sales on warm socks!

  Westfield United Turkey Dinner - November 11, with two seatings and two different take-out time slots. Tickets are $20 each (cash only, please), and will be available at Home Hardware by the end of the week. If you would like to help with preparing, serving, or cleaning up, please let any of the UCW members know! Many hands make light work!
  

And that's it for announcements today.

For a closing thought this week, even with heart-breaking events happening all around the world, my heart has been especially with the people of Florida who are barely just recovering from Hurricane Helene, and who now have Hurricane Milton bearing down on them. A Prayer for When Disaster Strikes, written by Kate Bowler, come through my inbox this morning, and so I share it with you. You can access it by clicking here.

Blessings to you and yours, today and always!

Kate.

Rev. Kate Jones

Two Rivers Pastoral Charge

(506) 757-2201 (office)

(506) 343-1307 (mobile)

www.tworiverspastoralcharge.com

Pronouns:  she/her/hers

"Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?"

Jesus replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: "You must love your neighbour as you love yourself."

(Matthew 22:36-39)